Fairytale
by rainbowsRocket
Summary: The Doctor and Amelia Pond, off to see the world. Adventure awaits, but what will the Doctor do when Amy becomes ill with a feverish alien disease? Slight AU, takes place sometime after Flesh and Stone. More adventure! Might go to M later.


"Amy?"

His voice, low and gentle, called out to the ginger. He sounded concerned, worried even. His forehead was creased in thought, eyebrows slightly furrowed as he approached her. "Amelia, what's the matter?" He only ever called her 'Amelia' when worried, and he was feeling rather beyond that point now. They'd spent the last two days exploring the planet Altaripaxis IV, on one of their usual adventures. They'd saved the world - saving the world (or a world, in this case) was simply par for the course by then. Hit a planet; see the sights, save the day! That was normal TARDIS life. When he told Amy he never interfered with peoples and planets, it had been a bit of a fabrication. The Doctor was notoriously bad at ignoring an interesting situation, and his own notions of 'don't interfere' practically vanished if people were in danger. And people always seemed to be in danger. Looking back on it, now, however, he found he sort of regretted landing on Altaripaxis IV… a bit more than sort of, if he was honest.

They'd returned to the TARDIS, exhilarated with another job well done and eager to be off to the next planet – or had that just been him? Ever since returning, Amy had been acting off, strange and out of character. Not at all her usual fiery ginger self. They'd only been back on the TARDIS a day and her symptoms had come on shockingly quickly. She seemed weaker and quieter, sitting for long lengths of time while staring at nothing. Usually they would have plotted out where to go next, what to see, but she'd trailed off to her room while mumbling something about a bit of a stomach-upset. She'd shown up later, for dinner, but was completely silent and hardly touched her food. Not to mention she didn't once playfully jab at his flying, or his bow-tie, or anything at all while in the control room later in the evening. At first he'd attributed it to her 'womanly cycle'. Amelia Pond was human, and quite fully mature, after all! He'd never thought about it before, but it had to happen sometime and it explained the mood change and the strange behavior. Their stay on Altaripaxis hadn't been wholly awful, and the life risking factor had been no larger than the norm. What else could it have been?

When she didn't show up the next morning in the console room, he hadn't been concerned. She generally slept in on the days after a big adventure, felt entitled to it. He was okay with that, of course. He went and had his own adventures while his companions slept, and as far as he was concerned, Amelia Pond, the girl who waited, could sleep in as long as she liked. He didn't mind waiting (sometimes). She'd waited, and so could he (sometimes). Of course, occasionally, he got impatient and late afternoon was suddenly deemed entirely too much sleeping in by the Doctor. They had other places to go, more worlds to save, species to meet! Like Vishta, home to the Caelumvishtins, a people rumored to be built brittle as birds with an absolutely massive wing span. They were excellent fliers, and supposedly the sunset from their sky-bound city was a spectacular once in a lifetime sight. Plus, the double moons were said to be a delight from so high up! Eleven had big plans to take Amy there, and there she was sleeping in and missing all the fun.

So he'd adjusted his bow-tie and fussed with his hair (although he wasn't really sure why he'd bothered with those odd details) and then set off down the corridors for the bedroom of one Amelia Pond. It was a bit of a trip. Strangely enough, after the little incident with the liplocking after the crash of the Byzantium, Amy's room seemed to have moved, purely of its own accord, a few winding passage ways away from the control room and his own room. This was completely coincidental, of course, as he most certainly was not trying to keep her from temptation or anything of the sort. Not that he considered himself a temptation, but still! There was always so much exhilaration after surviving such an encounter, it was just better if her room was a little further away. With another quick little bow-tie adjust, the Doctor had knocked on her door. There was no answer, so he tried again with another smart rap of his knuckles, "Come along, Pond, places to go, people to see! Day's a-wasting, you know – well, not really, time machine and all, but, well, still, I suppose it is for us—anyway! Wake up."

His companion neglected to answer. Maybe she was in the shower, or ignoring him in favour of sleep. She'd done that before, too. The few times he'd tried to rouse her in the past it was followed by her chucking the pillow in his direction and growling to herself about bow-tie wearing aliens. He noticed then that the door was open just a fraction. Had it always been like that? The Doctor wasn't entirely sure. There was an ominous creak as he pushed it forward a tad. He'd set up the door for Amy's room to be something simple, a deep TARDIS-blue old fashioned wooden thing. Plain ol' wooden doors tended to remind people of Earth, he found. No one had ever complained, at least, and besides, _he_ found them rather charming. But now it just gave him a bad, bad feeling. Instead of letting the door slowly swing open on its own, he thrust it open, acting on impulse from the sudden sense of foreboding.

Amy was there, standing only a foot away from the door jam, staring off into space with an unreadable expression in place. She swayed and for a moment he was completely, frighteningly, utterly, certain she would topple over and never move again. His hearts lurched as he twitched half a step forward in a wholly unconscious motion. One hand was already beginning to dig around in his tweed jacket, presumably for the sonic screwdriver. Her eyes were on him, then, wide and unblinking, all too vivid, shockingly green and bright – and certainly far more attentive then she'd been the previous day. Painfully alert and alive. Her stare caused the Doctor to falter in his step. For a split second he stood there, one hand on the doorknob, mouth slightly agape. "Amy?" Then he cleared his throat and righted himself. It was all off, though - she spoke not a word to him, just stared in silent observation.

"Amy?" She didn't move, but her lips tugged down into a vague frown. She wasn't staring at his face anymore. "Amelia, what's the matter?" Now he was moving forward, fishing the sonic out of his jacket properly and scanning her up and down. With a flourish he gave the screwdriver a bit of a flick, bringing it up to eye level to read. "Well, that can't be right, can it? Definitely not. Not at all. Amelia, speak to me." Another quick scan that produced the same unsatisfactory results, and then the Doctor was on her. She didn't budge or cringe, even as he felt her forehead and licked the palm of her hand. The lick wasn't entirely necessary, but it gave him some good info and he had hoped it would cause a reaction. Unfortunately it was the same info the scan had given him, and no reaction. "The sonic's right! But that's not right, can't be right. Amelia Pond, are you in there? 'Cause if you are, you're fine, totally fine. Sonic's just picked up some faint traces of bacteria in your system that really shouldn't be there, given that it's not a bacterium completely compatible with human DNA, you see? Shouldn't even be able toooo..." He lifted a piece of her red hair, and sniffed it, as if that would give him any more clues to her predicament, "…survive. That is, you shouldn't even be able to catch it. This. They? Just wouldn't, shouldn't work."

Yes, the Time Lord was most definitely beginning to regret their brief foray into Altaripaxis IV. The world could have saved itself, for once, maybe! They hadn't _needed_ to see what was considered the highest waterfall in all the cosmos – it wasn't, there was a bigger and higher one on a moon several billion miles away. This one sometimes ran vivid, vivid blue because of a chemical released into the waters because of leaves and seasons, but it wasn't the tallest. It'd been a bit disappointing, but Amy thought it was fantastic. Of course she did. What was a thousand foot difference to her?

And now she'd gone and caught some sort of alien pathogen that by all rights and accounts (read: _his _rights and accounts) shouldn't have even been able to survive in a human system! "What're you doing in there, hmm? Surviving, of course! But why a human? There aren't any humans on your planet, it's a hostile environment in there, completely foreign. How'd you do it?" It was a mystery if anything, besides the ever vacant Amy, had heard him. Nothing responded verbally, at least. As the Doctor circled her once more, scanning and rescanning her lithe frame, he failed to notice her ever so discreetly lean forward and... Sniff him. Her brow creased, her pupils seemed to dilate, and then she finally blinked. "Doc.. tor? Doctor?"

"Amy! Amelia! Yes, hello, been here for ages, took you long enough. Let's just pop down to the med bay, shall we? You seem to have come down with a touch of the... Flu. Space flu, mind you, but still the flu." Amy wet her lips, clearing her throat in response with a wry smile. "Blimey. Space flu. Like the normal flu, but from the _future_." The ging gave her head a bit of a shake, steadying herself with a cringe, "I _am _feeling kind of ill, yea? Maybe that's a good idea, med bay. Did we eat yet? I'm starved." "Okay! Good, fantastic, you're Amelia and you're here, and you're hungry. That's a good sign, absolutely. Nothing like some grub to fight the flu. An apple a day keeps the Doctor away- and it's true. Apples are rubbish. Don't eat an apple. How about a banana?"

The Medical Bay was a funny sort of room. Honestly, Amy had always associated anything with the word 'medical' in it with sterile white everything, and that horrid too clean (usually lemon-scented) but still sick smell that generally tagged along with hospitals and doctors offices. This was nothing of the sort. In fact, instead of an over powering lemon scent, she was fairly certain she detected a hint of home baking – much more comforting. It was still high tech and doctor-y, and she couldn't say for sure what half of the equipment and machinery even _was_, but she was far more comfortable than she'd ever been in any hospital. It seemed pretty disorganized to her, but maybe that was how the Doctor functioned. Complete chaos that only he was able to make sense of. Except, well, as he carried on, digging through shelves and drawers looking for the proper tool, she was quite certain he didn't know fully know his way around the mess either.

"Doctor." He ignored her, continuing to merrily search while letting an endless stream of his own consciousness pour from his lips. She only caught bits of what he was saying. Stuff like 'and that one time', 'never know when you'll need a good wrench', and 'the taffy was around here, I swear'. What did she need taffy for? "Doctor, it's not that I mind a good salt water taffy, but!" He wrung his hands, scanning another shelf with first his eyes, and then his fingers, still completely not listening, "And, well, you know, the funny thing about Silurian medical science…" "Doctor!" She couldn't help an amused smirk, leaning on her palms and crossing her legs at the ankle. He'd been prattling on like this since they started off to the med bay. She didn't mind, but she _was_ feeling a bit unhealthy. The smirk dropped a fraction, and she curled her fingers into the cushy padding of the loveseat she was seated on. Why a loveseat in the med bay? Because it looked cool, she supposed. "You only go on like this when you're worried, you know." Amy's voice was quiet, "So just tell me. Space flu, is it dangerous? If it's like normal flu, why all the fuss?"

"Ah-ha! Found it. Knew it was here somewhere, told you it was. Eat up, Pond!" A little careful rummaging later, and the Doctor had produced a small box. Inside the box were wrapped pieces of brightly coloured salt-water taffy. Amy's eyes narrowed first on the box, and then on him. "Yea, but what do I need taffy for?" He smiled, giving the box a bit of a wiggle as if to make it more enticing. "Cos, see, you've got a bit of an iron deficiency, oddly enough." "Explains the dizziness, sure- but taffy? Really?" She was finally digging into the box, taking a few with a perplexed look on her face. "Yep! Taffy. Special taffy, with loads of iron. Tastes fine though, I think." She rolled her eyes, unwrapping one of the candies. Her teeth grit as another small wave of dizziness took her. Space flu _sucked_.

When the smell of the taffy hit her nose she felt a small shudder run through her. "Smells completely gross," It was an offhand comment, but a frown tugged at her lips. The Doctor was watching her with an odd expression, quiet for the moment as she lifted the taffy to her mouth. Tentatively she had a tiny nibble off of the corner. The reaction was immediate. The candy dropped from her fingers, bouncing against the floor. One hand snapped over Amy's mouth as she doubled over, fighting down a sudden urge to retch. Tears sprang to her eyes. After several painstaking moments the nausea ebbed, leaving her dizzy and weaker than before. "Don't think I much like salt-water taffy." She glanced up at him, rubbing the water from her eyes with a weary smile. "Stomach doesn't seem to be agreeing with it, huh?" He didn't look amused, though. The expression on his face had momentarily been a dark one, but when he caught her looking he put on a smile. "Oh, Amelia. What're we going to do with you?"

As he stepped forward, cupping the back of her head while leaning in to give her forehead a smooch, Amy found herself inhaling deeply. She took another deep breath in, fingers abruptly curling into the lapels of his jacket to hold him in place. The Doctor jerked in mild surprise, staring down at her. "Amy, what-…" Her lips, which seemed far redder than before, were ever so slightly parted, and her gaze was curiously glazed over. He gulped, grinning awkwardly, and tugged gently on her hands in an effort to pry her away. "Amelia." With a flutter of her long, dark eyelashes, she gazed up at him… And then blinked. Once, twice, and then she quickly pulled away. Her cheeks coloured pink and she cleared her throat, the glaze from her eyes vanishing. "Huh? Wha? I dunno what came over me. Sorry, yea? It's just, uh…" She squirmed, rubbing at her temples. Her head had started to _pound_. "You smell nice, I guess. Anyway! Let's get on with… Whatever it is we do. Exploring. As nice as the med bay is, you _did_ promise me all of time and space." Not that she really felt up to exploration. Her arms were shaking, and she felt weak and dizzy – not to mention everything was starting to have an oddly hazy quality to it and she was still _so_ hungry! But if the taffy was any indicator, food wasn't going to agree with her stomach.

"Right! Yes. Um." The completely awkward 900 year old time lord stood there for a moment, fidgeting and adjusting his collar all while staring at her like she'd grown a third eye on her forehead. "What? Come on, mister, you owe me another planet." Amy pulled herself up, dusting out her short jean skirt, "I'm _fine_, Doctor, so stop giving me the look."

"The look? What look, I'm not giving you any look," He objected.

"_The_ look, Doctor. The '_I'm worried but not sure how to say anything without causing a panic_' look. I'm okay. Okay? Just a bit of a headache. Space flu, right? Sooo," He was protesting as she shooed him, guiding them both out of the med bay and toward the central controls of the TARDIS, "Let's go!" He huffed vaguely, fiddling with knobs and levers, dancing around the control panel. "_You_ should be in bed, Pond. Resting. Relaxing." She raised one brow, folding her arms over her chest. She looked positively challenging, as if it say 'it's my health and I know my body best'. "But you're just about the stubbornest Scot I've ever met. So! We'll have to go somewhere relaxing, hm? And I've got just the place, always have!" He typed something into type writer to his left in a blur, and then flipped another lever. They landed before Amy even had a chance to protest.

He stuck his head out the door with a grin, a light breeze ruffling his mop of brown hair. "Good weather. Nice out. With oxygen, obviously. Clear all day, we're in luck. _And_ it's quite warm out. It's dark though, why's it dark? Should be about lunch time, I'd think." Then he rather abruptly stepped outside. "…Doctor." It looked like he expected her to follow. She sighed, running a hand through her mane of fiery red waves. Her headache hadn't gone away at all, and her legs were feeling a bit off… But she'd asked for a planet. Feeling sick and sorry for herself could wait until later, maybe she'd ask for chicken noodle soup for dinner, or lunch.

The sight that greeted Amy as she poked her head outside was simply astounding. Snow, white and crisp, spread out before her as far as the eye could see. But it couldn't have been snow, it was far too warm. "Sand?" She asked aloud, stepping out of the TARDIS, clicking the door shut behind her. It definitely looked like sand, but felt heavier and a little crunchier. Several meters away was a pool of clear water – perfectly still. She was sure she'd be able to see the bottom, if not for the reflection of the sky the surface was casting. It was a mirror of the stars, and the massive face of the moon. Dotted along the left bank of the lake were strange dark blue leaved trees. The trees formed a sea of leaves as they went, going on forever, each leaf catching the silvery moonlight and reflecting it back. They seemed to glow.

This was a planet, this was definitely not Earth. This was _alien_ and absolutely fabulous. She momentarily forgot her headache, grinning and spinning on her heel to face the Doctor. He was leaning against his blue box, arms folded over his chest, the heel of his left shoe resting against the wooden frame of the TARDIS. She noted he looked quite smug about her reaction, and couldn't suppress a laugh. "Which planet is this, then? Awful romantic, moonlit beach on a warm night, yea?" Her tone was teasing, her hands locked behind her back as she regarded him with a playful purse of her lips.

"This? This is part of a privately owned resort, on Vesper A-3, a little itty bitty chain of resort planets. This one's owned by the Duke of New New Jersey, but with about a hundred more news tacked on there. Nice bloke, don't think he'll mind! Meant to land us here during the day, but it's just as nice at night. No tourists." He started to walk, gesturing around with his hands as he did, "Funny thing about this planet, something in the air-." The Doctor was cut off, as what appeared to be a young woman materialized in front of him. Her image wavered, glowing brightly, odd static like lines moving along her frame. She was attractive, with a pleasant smile, honey coloured hair and snappy business attire. "Heello there!" Both of his brows went up but he grinned at the woman all the same.

"Aah, hologram! Right? Definitely a hologram, Doctor. Like in sci-fi books, all… There, and not there." Amelia tilted her head in thought, coming to stand lightly beside the Doctor. "What's a hologram doing all the way out here, though? I don't see the actual resort…"

"Beach greeter!" He announced, quite chipper, "All the big resorts have holographic greeters all over the place. You can access maps and… Directions and facts and things. Not sure why you'd want a map when you could explore yourself, but there you have it! Big hit in the 51st century."

"Hello! And welcome to Vesper A-3." The hologram woman's voice was melodic and light, and she dipped her head in greeting to the two time travelers. "The time is currently three fifty seven AM, and the temperature is a warm twenty six degrees Celsius. Visitors are reminded that beach hours are from six am to seven pm and are _strictly encouraged_ not to violate these time restrictions, this applies to human and non-human life alike." On she smiled, gesturing out to the beach with her right hand as she walked. It wasn't really like walking, though, Amy noted. She didn't have any weight, so she just seemed to glide across the sand. "The forest is strictly forbidden to guests, but please feel free to swim or lounge at the beach. And most of all, have a good time! We look forward to your continued patronage." Her image wavered and then disappeared. As the Doctor and Amy were left alone again, an odd cry sounded from... somewhere. It was hard to tell where, but it was far off and foreign sounding – like some species of bird Amy had never heard before.

The Doctor rubbed his hands together, "So! We're outside the visiting hours but that shouldn't cause any problems. Much more relaxing all… quiet and eerie like this. I wonder why the forest is _strictly_ forbidden, instead of just forbidden." He promptly licked a finger, holding it up into the air. Amy rolled her eyes again with a smile, absently rubbing her temples, "Does it make a difference, Doctor?" He didn't reply for a moment, concentrating on the breeze, before turning to look at her with a grin, "All the difference in the world! Something's off. Iiinteresting." His trusty red headed companion sighed a little, stripping her jacket off and tossing it near the TARDIS. "I think you're imagining things, honestly." Her stomach was doing odd flips, and her headache was going mad, but the scenery was nice (and relaxing, she had to admit), if a _little_ eerie. Besides their talking, and that one odd bird song, it was completely silent.

While the Doctor flitted around, scanning sand and whatever else, Amelia did away with her plaid button up. That, too, was tossed carelessly toward the TARDIS. Off went her boots and socks, leaving her in her skirt and a tight fitting tank top. Eleven glanced up at her with a raise of his brows, and a clear of his throat, "What're you doing, then?" Amy looked at him as if he was very unintelligent indeed. "It's a beach. It's warm. I was over dressed. Plus, sand between the toes, warm sand especially, is great. Act like you've never been to a beach before, why don'cha." She wiggled her toes to prove her point, and then headed southward toward the water. "Going to get sand up my skirt," She remarked to no one in particular before plopping down on the shoreline. The water was so still, she almost felt bad about wanting to have a dip – but not bad enough! Gently she lowered herself to her back, wild red hair fanning out in a stark contrast around her head against the pure white sand. With a stretch she thrust her bare feet into the water. It was shockingly cool compared to the warm air, but not unpleasant. A sigh fell from her lips, as she let herself relax. The fresh air was bound to help her feel better, wasn't it?

After several minutes, the Doctor sat beside her with a fwump. He'd opted to take off his jacket, tucking that and Amy's tossed away clothing into the TARDIS. "Right, so, nothing off as of yet, so I suppose we'll just lounge, shall we? Only I'm sure something'll crop up because-." Amy lifted a hand, waving it. "Doctor." "Because-." "Doctor! Shush. Relaxing, remember? This trip's non-business." She cracked her eyes open to peer at him. He was sitting on the sand with his knees bent, and his pants rolled up to about the middle of his calves. His shoes had gone missing. Amy snickered. "Are you bare foot?" He looked a little startled. "Course I am. We're on a beach, aren't we?"

"Oh yea, definitely. But you've still got the bow tie and the suspenders and everything else! Looks a bit silly." He scoffed, adjusting the bow-tie, "No it doesn't. It looks cool. Because bow-ties? Cool." He'd even gone and rolled up his sleeves to the elbow. Amy smiled, slowly sitting back up. Her head wasn't reeling quite as bad anymore. Without really thinking about it she scooted an inch closer. He seemed focused on the water, watching the ripples that Amy had caused disperse. She had absolutely zero idea what was coming over her, and the Doctor hadn't seemed to notice. As if in a trance, she found herself suddenly very, very close to him. Her pupils seemed to contract and then dilate in the span of a few seconds. She was starting to get scared, and a little confused. In a way she didn't seem to have control over her actions, all of her senses overpowered by his scent and by the way the collar of his shirt hugged the skin of his neck and...

Amy pushed her forehead to his neck, content, for the moment, to be so oddly close, and to take in every little detail. The Doctor froze, posture stiffening. He remained uncomfortably silent and kept his wide eyes on the water. No more ripples, but there was an odd inky black blot on the surface. From under the water? "No," He said aloud, although quietly, "From the sky?" His eyes went even wider before he grabbed the ginger's shoulder, a little more vigorously than necessary, and shoved her back into the sand while falling back as well."Down, Pond!" A massive black feathery shape fell from the sky, large talons whistling against the air mere inches from where their faces had been. The shape tumbled with a high pitched wail, rolling in the sand – the plan had obviously been to collide with them instead of sailing over them.

"Doctor!" The sudden movement had snapped her back to her senses, and Amy had quickly flipped onto her stomach, her stare on the very unhappy looking shape that had crashed through the sand and against the side of the TARDIS. "What is _that_?" She hissed at the time lord beside her, though he looked just as startled. "The reason for the time restriction on the beach. But that's just my guess," He shot her a cheeky smile, and a thumbs up, eyes focused on the creature. His voice was a soft mumble, "Aren't you just beautiful? You big gorgeous carrion _thing_, you."

"Beautiful, yea. Definitely beautiful. And coming right for us." She gave his shoulder a shake, but he seemed temporarily intent on studying the thing. So she shrieked at him instead."Doctor, it's _coming right for us_!" The creature was shaped oddly like a lion and an eagle, about the size of a small pony with a gigantic wing span. It was covered in a coating of slick black fur and equally greasy looking feathers. The ghastly thing tilted its head toward the sky and gave a horrendous scream that chilled the air around them, and then it charged. The sand prevented it from running full speed, but it used its gigantic wings to propel itself. "_Lovely_! Right, yes! Running now! Run!" The Doctor shouted, springing up while pulling his red headed companion with him. Her fingers curled around his and then they both sprinted through the sand, bare foot and half dressed.

Two or three powerful strokes of its wings later, and the creature lifted into the air. It soared like a bullet toward the night sky, circling them once to gain speed before aiming itself for the pair of time travelers in a plummet. With ruby-like red eyes, and talons outstretched, the monstrosity bore down upon them with a clear intent to maim. "Isn't this where you usually have a show stopping speech to give, Doctor? Or a plan?" Not that it looked like it wanted to talk. The Doctor pointedly ignored the comment, his grip on her hand tightening. "Aah, ah, right! It's circling us- dropping, actually, right! We need cover. Let's find out why the forest is _strictly_ forbidden!" They clumsily ran through the sand for what seemed like ages. The edge of the forest wasn't far off, and the odd silvery barked trees seemed far more inviting than being ripped apart. Amy shot a glance over her shoulder, "It's getting closer! It's-." "_Jump!_"

With a yell Amy leapt forward, tugged along by the Doctor who had also jumped. She was vaguely reminded of high school – track and field, the long jump. Her landing was not nearly as graceful as it had been back then. They tumbled onto the sand, then immediately scrambled further into the shelter of the forest. The creature behind them gave a despairing cry. It was moving far too fast to change course now, and slammed hard into the trees. It didn't give chase, squawking desperately and rolling in the sand. Once it had righted itself it bounded away, back into the sky without so much as a second glance back at the pair.

The light of the moon barely filtered through the close-knit branches, thus the lower leaves couldn't give off their strange luminescent glow. It was quite dark, and Amy had to squint to make out their surroundings – and that was with the edge of the forest only a few feet away! The forest looked to stretch out behind them in all directions for miles. The dense and heavy sand continued with the trees, interrupted frequently by underbrush and clusters of curious looking flowers. Her gaze fell to the Doctor, beside her and crouched awkwardly in the sand the same as she was. His eyes shifted to her, and the corners of his mouth tilted up into a smile, and then into a grin. He laughed, a relieved and easy sound. Amy started to laugh along with him, at how ridiculous they both must have looked, and with relief that they were alive. The creature gave another cry, but it was far off and fading fast. Somehow that just made them laugh a little harder.

"Relaxing, huh?" She poked at the raggedy man playfully, "How're we supposed to get back to the TARDIS, then?" The Doctor, however, had already hopped to his feet. Dusting sand off his hands, he looked around and rocked on his heels in thought. "Something's off!" Amy could practically sense the excitement coming off of him in waves. Despite her headache, and the fear of being chased, she couldn't help but grin. "Something's very, definitely," He gave a little bounce against the sand, "Off. Let's find out what." Naturally he seemed to have temporarily forgotten about rest and relaxation, and the space flu. Fortunately for them both, all the fresh air was helping. Or, at least, it looked like it was helping. There was no explaining why she'd taken to sniffing him – not yet. The Doctor looked his companion over while she dusted herself out and tried to make her eyes adjust to the dim light, worry creased his brow. "Right! That creature wasn't natural, not at all, and I don't think leaving the forest right now is such a good idea. Best to wait 'til the sun's up. That means the only logical direction is…" He licked his index finger then stuck it into the air. Wiggling it around, he spun on his heel and pointed further into the forest. "That-a-way."

They, perhaps, should have stayed on the TARDIS to deal with Amy's problem. He hadn't known Vesper A-3 was dangerous, he'd never been there at night and didn't bother to do very extensive research before going – it just wasn't how he traveled! More often than not it got him, and his companions, into trouble – but trouble… Trouble was kind of _fun._

"Why'd they call it _forbidden_? Have you seen anything to merit a forbidden rule in here, Amy?" An hour had passed in relative quiet. It was, in the Doctor's humble opinion, kind of a boring forest. Forest of boredom and boringness. He didn't mind a good walk, but he'd expected more running – something dangerous, exciting! It was certainly pretty, even though they couldn't see much because of the dark. In _Amy's_ humble opinion, it was gorgeous. She was supposed to be relaxing, anyways, wasn't she? It wasn't a spa, no, but it had a certain tranquil quality to it. "Maybe it's restricted so no one disturbs the animal and plant life?" There was plant life a plenty, but no animals thus far. Nothing besides the occasional far off cry of a bird – the warm breeze of the beach didn't even reach them here. "Anyway, can we take a break? Head's starting to hurt a bit." Without waiting for a reply, she helped herself to a seat on the roots of one of the trees. The further they went into the forest the denser the flora had gotten. The ground was a cluster of roots, pockets of sand, and the occasional patch of odd silver wild flowers. "It's too bad it's so dark, I think my feet are all bruised from tripping over roots..." Her cell phone, and the Doctor's sonic, hadn't _quite_ served as adequate sources of light.

He sat beside her. She rubbed her temples; her head leaned back on the smooth bark of a tree behind them. "We could walk back, make a run for the TARDIS." It was a quiet offer. Amy opened her eyes, staring at him with a vague smile on her lips. "I'm fine, Doctor, really. Besides, I know you're_ really_ curious to find out what's out here. It's what you do, yea? Get into trouble, stick your nose places. Got a feeling it might just be more trees, though." He returned the smile, but he still looked faintly worried. The Doctor dragged a hand down his face. "More trees. That's what I think. Been a nice walk though, eh? But! Time to head back." She opened her mouth to argue, but something from the corner of her eye caught her attention. "Hang on, did you see that?"

The ginger tilted her head to the side, squinting into the darkness. "Thought I saw something out there… There it is again! Doctor!" In the distance, something shifted in the underbrush. There was a quiet rumble, and the perplexing shadows started to become more pronounced. "Ooh no, that's not good." The Doctor was scanning the area, pacing back and forth. "Aah, hah, come along, Pond. Definitely time to go!" She tore her eyes away from the strangely squirming shapes and stood to follow. "What _are_those things?" They started at a bit of a trot back the way they'd come. "The shadows I mean. And that noise, sounded like growling." He laughed, rubbing the back of his head while one hand continued flicking the sonic around. "We should have made a run to the TARDIS. Did you notice how the bird didn't follow us into the forest? I've made a small mistake, there's a very good reason this area's prohibited to the resort's guests."

"Mistake? What is it, Doctor?"

The rumbling noise, like the ground was growling, sounded again from behind them. "Well, you see, it's a _living_ forest. A live creature." "A _what_?" She sounded incredulous. "Living forest! Living, angry, probably hungry forest! Most everything's learned to avoid the area, or else it gets, well… Eaten."

Amy had to pick up her pace to keep along side him. "What, so you mean we're a midnight snack, then?"

"Precisely! The trees get a few nutrients from the sun, the flowers attract smaller animals, bugs and things, maybe squirrels. We're probably the first big meal it's had in awhile." He sounded rather thoughtful. "Doctor!" Amelia screamed. From the sand burst a bright white root. It wrapped itself several times around the red heads ankle, and then yanked sharply. She toppled like a deck of cards while flailing her arms to grab hold of something. Coincidentally the only thing in range was the Doctor himself- he was always there. He grasped her hand, and she held on for dear life. The root gave a mighty tug, constricting painfully on her flesh, and she screamed again. "Don't let go! _Please_, don't let go!" She clung to his arm, kicking and flailing her legs. "Amelia Pond, I won't _ever _let go!" Keeping one hand firmly on her, though his grip was starting to slacken, he flicked the sonic at the root. He grit his teeth, flicking it on and off with as many different frequencies he could think of. It was starting to drag them both backwards through the sand. Another burst from the depths of the ground, striking him across the face and then again across his collar bone. He yelped, and flicked the screwdriver on once more! It hummed reassuringly while the roots started to shudder. With a horrible squeal from the forest itself they withdrew, leaving Amy, still clinging to the Doctor, panting on the sand. "Right! That'll only hold them off for a bit, up you go!" He helped her stand, and then helped her run. Her ankle was a garish purple, discoloured and starting to swell. She hissed in pain every time she put pressure on it, but she didn't complain. "They're coming again, Doctor!" Behind them was a writhing mass of white roots, slithering along the sand.

Without warning he scooped Amy up in a princess carry, flicking his sonic on with a wild gesture behind him before holding it with his teeth. She made a noise of protest as he started to sprint along the sand. After a quick consideration she took the sonic from him, pointing it at the snake like roots. They shuddered and squirmed, but did not stop their rapid approach. "You're not holding it right!" She huffed and attempted to adjust her grip, "I'm holding it exactly like you do!" "No, you're doing it.. it's just. Wrong! You're doing it wrong!"

"Shaddup and keep running!"

The trip out of the forest was much quicker, and far more hectic. The roots tailed them dangerously close, and several times burst out of the sand in front of them like some sort of horrible desert worm. The Doctor had to scramble to avoid these, but they were rapidly approaching the edge of the forest. "So! If I'm right- and let's hope I am, once we hit the edge of the forest, the roots can't follow us! But! There's still the other things out there, but the sun should sort of be coming up by now! I hope!" He was right about that. Very pale, weak morning sunlight was starting to brighten up the area. The tree line wasn't far off now; it was quite close in fact! Amy shot one last glance behind them as they hit the open air. A great wave of the roots had risen all at once and was falling upon them in a flood – they fell inches short. Instead of continuing the hunt they slithered back into the forest and sunk into the sand. The sun was peaking over the horizon, the sand catching its rays and reflecting them back. There weren't any tourists out to gawk at the time traveling duo. The forest behind them looked perfectly innocent. Despite the apparent lack of danger, the Doctor didn't stop heading for the TARDIS. He wasn't full out sprinting, but he still bee lined for it. "Pocket, TARDIS key."

Amy lifted a brow. He was still carrying her, after all. "I can walk now, you know. No more running." She glanced down at her sprained and bruised looking ankle and pulled a face. "Or, I can _hobble_ at least." After a quick dig through his pockets she found the key. The door swung open gently, and the Doctor clicked it shut behind them. The ginger was deposited carefully in the cushioned chair adjacent to the controls. "Maybe next time you want me to rest, we should just go to a spa, yea?" Her tone was teasing, and there was a small smile on her face. The Doctor pouted, but didn't dispute her point. They'd gotten out fine! Amy's amused grin faltered however, "You're bleeding!" A small but ragged looking cut ran horizontal across his cheek. The fabric of his collar was ripped, and a spot of blood was beginning to form on the cloth, as well. He blinked, swiping a finger across his cheek like he didn't believe it. "Must have been the root, I can only barely feel it. Nice of it, really. Anesthetic sap on the root that gets into the blood so you can't feel it eating you- though, mind you, might be nicer of it not to eat you in the first place. Now, as for you, chicken soup and bed, hm?"

While fiddling with buttons and levers, the Doctor caught a flash of red hair out of the corner of his eye. With little care for her injured ankle, Amelia had darted up and forwards. He turned in time, but found himself securely pinned against the TARDIS's console. The soft red curls of her hair fell in tumbled cascades over her shoulders. One or two strands clung to the left side of her parted lips. She pressed her weight onto him, staring up into his wide eyes. He cleared his throat, shifting awkwardly- he was starting to fidget! He always seemed to notice curious little details about Amy when she was this close to him; the intensity of her hair, the way it framed her face, her soft skin. He was very observant. Now wasn't the time for casual observation, however! "Amy, Amy, Amy, I think this is a bit more serious than space flu." Not that she'd ever _had_ space flu. He'd just said that to keep her from worrying. Unfortunately for him, his fiery companion hadn't seemed to hear him. She was leaning in while he leaned a fraction away.

Her body shuddered oddly as she quite suddenly ran her tongue over the cut on his cheek. Amy made an odd noise in her throat, something between a quiet whine and a _moan_. Her hands snaked up his chest, arms loosely dangling themselves over his shoulders. The Doctor's brain went into overdrive. This confirmed his suspicions, he knew what was wrong with her- and it was fairly disconcerting. "Only, that is, hah. Well. I didn't think the symptoms would show up so quickly. Abruptly? Like… this." He gestured aimlessly, floundering for words. Her tongue ran gently across the cut again, licking away a fresh line of blood. He squirmed against the console, raising his hands to push her shoulders in a weak protest. She let out a disapproving mumble, something he couldn't make out, and then dropped her head to his shoulder. With a quick yank, the torn fabric of his shirt was pulled aside and her lips were pushed to the broken skin on his neck. His fingers curled as he continued to squirm. He laughed nervously all the while.

The time lord obviously hadn't been expecting this of his companion, and he wasn't exactly in the best position to push her away. Plus, she was ill; he couldn't just shove an ill and injured Amy! Another tender flick of her tongue drew a strangled gasp from the Doctor. He tried desperately to think while she cleaned the wound on his neck. "Right, s-so. _So._ You're sick. You picked up a bacterium off another planet, one that shouldn't be able to survive in the human system. So. That meEa-ans- _Amelia!_" His voice cracked and rose as the rather bold Amelia nibbled the torn skin to draw more blood while simultaneously wrapping a leg firmly around one of his. "The anesthetic's worn off, you know! It'd hardly affect a Time Lord as long as a human- and it was meant for a human, so that smarts!" That didn't stop her, though. His hands dropped from her shoulders, gripping the control panel behind him. His knuckles whitened instantly from his hold on it. Smarting wasn't the only thing her attentions, nibbling or not, seemed to be doing. One of her very adventurous hands rubbed up and down over the nape of his neck before pushing upwards to tangle into his hair. "It's making you sick. Becaa—nnf, it's very hard to think while you're doing that!"

She'd started to delicately suck on the cut. Whenever it started to sting too sharply, she'd lovingly run her tongue in comforting little circles over it instead. The Doctor stared hopelessly at the ceiling, arranging his thoughts while concentrating on controlling his breathing "It's making you sick _because_ it can't survive in you. So it's changing itself, but you're fighting back, but why's it making you gnaw on my neck- The blood! If it can get the blood of a compatible species on a regular basis it can sustain itself, even in a human host! Explains quite a lot, that." At least he knew why she'd been acting so… peculiar, and how to fix her- mostly. Firstly, it involved getting her off of him and back to med bay.

That was also when she decided she'd had enough. Her head lifted from his neck, mouth speckled with red. She wore a dreamy sort of smile, licking her lips once before moving in to crash them to his in a needy kiss. Her tongue slipped passed the Doctor's lips, exploring eagerly as she crushed her body against him. He didn't have time to react beyond one shocked noise. Kissing Amelia Pond wasn't entirely unpleasant. This was the second time. In fact, it was almost a good experience. She was an excellent kisser, moving her lips in a practiced rhythm and tilting her head just slightly to the side. Except she did, however, at that moment, taste very strongly of coppery-sweet time lord blood. And this was Amelia! _Amelia_! Sweet little Amelia Pond, darling little sassy Scottish girl that was supposed to fly away with him and have innocent fun filled adventures. Now she was kissing him (_**again**_)! More than that, though, he was kissing her right back. At some point his hands had hesitantly run up her sides, back down again, and then up once more. Now one hand rested tentatively on her hip, forever in a state of holding her closer and pushing her away, while the other hand couldn't decide where to land. As such it traveled from cupping her cheek, to rubbing her shoulder, to hanging rather awkwardly in the air.

His brain was shouting at him. She was out of her mind! Sick and o_ut of her mind_! Why'd she only ever kiss him when she was terrified or infected with alien bacteria? The abrupt rocking of her hips against his, and another quiet gasp from Amy, snapped him out of his reverie. One of the Doctor's hands began fumbling around on the TARDIS controls, searching for something. With a good deal of effort he flipped the pin he was stuck in, and the red head was trapped quite happily against control panel. He continued to kiss the daylights out of her, keeping her distracted. His hand groped under the control panel until he found what he needed, namely a small gun looking object – one that had a cartridge of liquid attached to it. Carefully he pressed it into Amy's neck. With a pull of the trigger the cartridge was emptied and the girl slumped soundly over as it entered her system. Her chest rose and fell with the steady slowness of someone in a deep slumber.

The Doctor let out a slow breath, ruffling up his bangs. The bacteria needed compatible blood to feed off to survive in her system – apparently his would do. It made her crave the blood of whatever compatible species was near by, confusing her senses with lust and hunger. He nodded to himself. The lusty bit, that had to have been the bacterium as well. Right? "Obviously." He answered himself aloud. Amy shifted in her drug induced sleep, mumbling to herself, "Doctor..."

He sighed again.

"Oh, _Pond_."


End file.
